Casanova #12 Review

Our month isn't complete without this series.

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Finally. My month never quite feels right without a dose of Matt Fraction's Casanova. I can't always profess to know what's going on in this kooky sci-fi/espionage series (spi-fi?), but I love every second of it. It's been a little while. Issue #12 is actually quite a bit more accessible and approachable than past issues, which ends up being a drawback as well as a selling point.

Basically, lots and lots of things get shot at, blown up, and tossed into the vacuum of space. It's another issue and another story with no sign of the main character. I stopped caring long ago since his sister Zephyr is every bit as entertaining. Along with her boyfriend/partner... whatshisname... Zephyr invades the headquarters of E.M.P.I.R.E. with her father as the primary target.

Simply put, the action sequences in this issue are some of the best I've seen in the series so far. Fraction capitalizes on the fact that sound can't travel in a vacuum, which leads to numerous sequences where characters speak in unintelligible gibberish. It works very well. It also gives the artist another chance to shine. Fabio Moon is a terrific artist, one who ditches detail in favor of expressive motion. His pencils are extremely stylistic and well-crafted to the point where I'm not sure I want Gabriel Ba to come back for the next arc. Sorry, Gabe, your evil twin brother has stolen your spotlight.

The only trouble with the sparse dialogue and heavy action is that the issue blows by even more quickly than normal. Each issue of Casanova is a mere 16 pages long. Between the low price tag and dense storyline, usually that's plenty. This month... not so much. I just love my Casanova too much to be entirely satisfied with 16 pages of shooting and eye gouging. Hopefully the next issue will have more of a timely arrival.